1. Field
The following description relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a fan motor apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, which is adapted for use in a domestic, industrial, or commercial vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vacuum cleaner may generally employ a fan motor apparatus to forcibly draw in an external air stream from which foreign matter, such as dusts, may be removed.
The fan motor apparatus may include a plurality of vanes formed on a motor shaft, which may rotate to generate suction force as the motor starts driving. The generated suction force draws in the external air stream and dusts from the surface being cleaned into a centrifugal separator. Additionally, the generated suction force of the fan motor apparatus causes the drawn air in the centrifugal separator to rotate and shed foreign matters. A cleaned airstream, from which dust has been removed, is then discharged out. At this time, the fan motor apparatus and the drawn air stream generate noise. This is the main cause of the noise generally occurring in a vacuum cleaner.
Accordingly, various kinds of fan motor apparatuses and sealing members have been suggested in an attempt to reduce noise of the fan motor apparatus.
By way of example, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0133743 entitled ‘Cleaner having a rear noise insulating cover’, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0133744 entitled ‘Noise-absorbing chamber of a vacuum cleaner having a spiral tube’, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0233513 entitled ‘Motor mounting structure of vacuum cleaner’, U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,738 entitled ‘Vacuum cleaner having silence mechanism’, and European Patent No. EP 453296 entitled ‘Vacuum cleaner’ pertain to such examples of a fan motor apparatus.
The above-mentioned examples suggest a dual casing to extend a discharge passage of a fan motor to reduce noise of a fan motor apparatus, and a noise-absorbent member arranged inside the dual casing, without being exposed, and fixed by adhesives or the like to prevent dislocation or deformation thereof.
Although the noise-absorbent members of the above examples may be able to reduce noise by absorbing the discharging air noise, problems may arise as minute foreign matters left unfiltered in the air stream may become caught within the noise-absorbent member and accumulated as the air stream is continuously discharged. That is, the foreign matters, once trapped in the noise-absorbent member, may deteriorate the air discharging and silencing efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to clean or replace the noise-absorbent member periodically.
However, according to the above examples, the noise-absorbent members are arranged inside the dual casing without being exposed, making replacement or cleaning job difficult.
Due to uneasy access to the noise-absorbent member, the noise-absorbent members are often left with foreign matters caught therein, so the air discharging efficiency gradually deteriorates. However, the noise-absorbent member, when left unattended with the deteriorating discharging efficiency, mainly causes internal exhaust pressure of the fan motor apparatus to rise. The increase of internal exhaust pressure of the fan motor apparatus may cause a motor to operate under overload, make bigger noise, and possibly become overheated, thereby damaging the motor.
Further, the examples above generally employ dual casing structure to extend passage of discharged air stream, thereby complicating the structure of a fan motor apparatus, and also requiring an increased number of parts. Due to the complicated structure and need for an increased number of parts of a fan motor apparatus, fabrication of a vacuum cleaner may be difficult, manufacture cost may increase, and productivity may deteriorate.
Further yet, due to increased number of parts and complicated structure, a fan motor apparatus may have a limited compactness, and as a result, an apparatus, such as a vacuum cleaner employing the fan motor apparatus, may also be difficult to make compact.
Further, the limited compactness of a vacuum cleaner may also cause inconvenience to a user, who has to operate a large-sized vacuum cleaner.